Azerbaijan-Israel: Baku Betrays "Islamic Solidarity"

• 12.16.2016, 19:43
• Arpine Hovsepyan
•  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Analytics

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visited Azerbaijan this week. Netanyahu has special contribution to the building of present relations between Azerbaijan and Israel. He has become the first high-ranking Israeli official that visited Baku in 1998 and laid the ground for deepening economic and political cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan.

Both Ilham Aliyev and Benjamin Netanyahu spared no effort to emphasize the strategic nature of relations between Israel and Azerbaijan. In reality, Baku and Tel Aviv pursue certain goals, when talking about the Israeli-Azerbaijani strategic relations.

Israel’s interest towards Azerbaijan and Central Asia (After Baku Netanyahu visited Kazakhstan for the first time) is conditioned by the rich energy resources of the region that are a major component of Israel's trade relations with these countries. At the same time Israel considers the possibility to reach European market through the Central Asian countries. Israel does not hide the fact that its interest towards Azerbaijan is based also on the necessity of the appropriate platform for possible attack on Iran.

Despite the importance of the above mentioned facts, relations with the Central Asian countries is much more important for Israel from the perspective of showing the possibility of coexistence between Jews and Muslims. It is no secret that during the whole period of its existence Israel aimed at building relations with non-Arabic Muslim countries (Israel’s relations with Turkey are the best example). From this perspective the Central Asian countries are of particular importance for Israel. Besides, through cooperation with these countries Tel Aviv tries to weaken their ties with Iran, its main rival in the region.

As for Azerbaijan, Baku pursues its own goals via relations with Israel. First, the economic component of relations with Israel especially in terms of energy and military cooperation is very important for Baku. Particularly, 40 percent of the Israeli oil comes from Azerbaijan. According to Aliyev's statement "the contracts between Azerbaijani and Israeli companies with respect to purchasing of defense equipment is close to $5 billion". Moreover, there is information that the parties are negotiating a security agreement.

Second, the importance of relations with Israel for Azerbaijan is conditioned by the close relations between Israel and the US. It is no secret that the US Jewish lobby actively represents the interests of Azerbaijan.

Besides, both in Azerbaijan and Israel the idea of creating Turkey-Azerbaijan-Israel axis is considered to be quite promising. The idea seemed to be problematic during tense relations between Turkey and Israel, but now when we see reconciliation process between them, the idea of creating Turkey-Azerbaijan-Israel axis gets chances to be realized. At the same time, Baku tries to represent its relations with Tel Aviv as a counterweight to the deepening of the Armenian-Iranian relations.

And despite the importance of the above mentioned factors, Azerbaijan avoids advertising relations with Israel because of reaction from Iran. From this point of view the visit of Netanyahu has become one of the unique elements of visible part of the Israeli-Azerbaijani iceberg. The Iranian leadership has repeatedly warned Azerbaijan that "relations with the enemy of the Islamic world are fraught with serious consequences for Baku". This is the reason why Azerbaijan has not yet opened an Embassy in Tel Aviv, despite the fact that the countries established diplomatic relations in 1993.

But has Azerbaijan forgotten about the idea of "Islamic solidarity" that has been actively speculated by official Baku in recent years. Azerbaijan very well remember the idea of "Islamic unity" especially when planning Anti-Armenian steps in international organizations (UN, Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States), demanding from Muslim countries to remain committed to the "Islamic solidarity". 

Azerbaijan should explain Muslim countries how it happens that for the sake of Israel Baku betrays "Islamic unity".